The Holiday Set List
by RileyAngel
Summary: It's time to get ready for the 2011 annual McKinley High School holiday concert. Who knew that choosing a few songs could result in so much drama? Well, it's Glee Club, after all, so who could expect anything less?


**The Holiday Set List ** It's time to get ready for the 2011 annual McKinley High School holiday concert. Who knew that choosing a few songs could result in so much drama? Well, it's Glee Club, after all, so who could expect anything less?

Once again, I thank Ryan Murphy for his characters and the world they inhabit. They belong to him, this story, to me. Please enjoy…

**Author's Note**: I made an assumption that, like many high schools (including mine, back in the day ;-)), there is an annual holiday concert at McKinley where all of the instrumental and choral groups perform.

* * *

With one week to go before Thanksgiving, the choir room was abuzz with conversation of mid-terms, football games, and holiday plans. Will Scheuster entered the room, calling the latest meeting of the Glee Club to order: "OK, people, quiet down, please." Slowly, all eyes rested on him, and talking ceased.

"As you all know," he began, "McKinley has our annual holiday concert next month, and I was wondering if you have any suggestions for our performance." Silence gave way to discussion, and titles were volunteered, each of which Will wrote down on the chalkboard: "White Christmas", "Silver Bells", "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town", "Silent Night", "O Holy Night", "Away in a Manger", "The Christmas Song", "We Need A Little Christmas", "Carol of the Bells", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Jingle Bell Rock", and "Away in a Manger".

"Hey, uh, Mr. Scheu," Sam Evans said in his best Elvis impersonation, "Don't forget 'Blue Christmas'…uh, thank you…thank you very much." His friends laughed in appreciation, and debate began over which songs to select, which was quickly silenced as Noah "Puck" Puckerman spoke out, "Hey, I think something's missing from the list."

"What's that, Puck?" Will interestedly asked. "A Chanukah song, that's what," he emphatically replied. "Yeah," Finn Hudson chimed in, "we should totally sing 'The Dreidel Song'…ya' know, like on 'South Park'. I'll be 'Stan' and Puck can be 'Kyle'…" Rachel Berry, Finn's girlfriend, rolled her eyes. She had been sitting next to Finn, his arm around the back of her chair. She pulled away, sitting up, posture perfect, and faced him directly.

"That's really the only song you can think of, Finn?" she asked testily. "Well, yeah," he replied, looking at her quizzically, "are there any others? Everybody knows _that one_…"

Rachel pursed her lips together. Finn could be so clueless, and she found her patience tried more with each passing day. She had originally told him that their relationship had an "expiration date", when she left for college next fall, and, although some of the time they spent together was sweet, more often, lately, it felt like the milk was turning sour in the carton, and it was time to spill it out.

Rachel smiled, remarking, "Actually, Finn, I have the perfect idea." She turned to Puck, asking him, "Noah, do you remember that song we sang for your Nana's bridge group?" Finn's eyes widened; they sang together, and he didn't know about it? "Wait a minute, Puck, _I told you_…" Finn angrily began. Rachel turned to Finn again impatiently, repeating "Exactly _what_ did you tell him, Finn?" Finn shied back, dropping the subject, and Puck answered, "Ya' mean _'__Ma'oz Tzur'?"_

"Yes, exactly, she said, smiling brightly at Puck. "Would you sing with me, please?" Puck smiled (genuinely, rather than smirked) and took his acoustic guitar out of the case, answering, "Sure, Rach. Gimme a minute to tune up." He fiddled with the guitar until he was satisfied with the sound. He pulled up a chair to face the other kids, announcing, "OK, Rach, lemme know when to start." Rachel came to stand beside him on his left, smiled, nodding her head, and replied, "You may begin, now, Noah"

Puck played a brief introduction, and Rachel began to sing in Hebrew in her pure, soprano voice:

"_Ma-oz Tzur Y'shu-a-si _

_Le-cha Na-eh L'sha-bei-ach_"

Rachel gently put her arm around Puck's shoulders as he joined her in the next line, and continued through the remainder, their voices blending in a seamless two-part harmony:

"_Ti-kon Beis T'fi-la-si_

_V'sham To-da N'za-bei-ach_

_._

_L'eis Ta-chin Mat-bei-ach_

_Mi-tzar Ha-mi-ga-bei-ach_

_._

_Az Eg-mor B'shir Miz-mor_

_Cha-nu-ka Ha-miz-bei-ach_

_._

_Az Eg-mor B'shir Miz-mor_

_Cha-nu-ka Ha-miz-bei-ach"_

Puck played a brief guitar solo, repeating the melody from the last two stanzas, and then they joined together (in harmony) again for the English translation:

"_Rock of ages, let our song_

_Praise Your saving power;_

_._

_You, amid the raging foes,_

_Were our sheltering tower._

_._

_Furious they assailed us,_

_But Your arm availed us,_

_._

_And Your word,_

_Broke their sword,_

_When our own strength failed us._

_._

_And Your word,_

_Broke their sword,_

_When our own strength failed us."_

Puck played a final glissando, and they ended the song to appreciative applause.

"Guys, that's really beautiful," Will complemented them. "If you don't mind, I'd like to include that as a duet for the two of you." Puck was a bit taken aback, although happily so; Mr. Scheuster seldom favored him over Finn. Rachel replied graciously, "I'm sure we'd love to, Mr. Scheu, but, if you don't mind, I think the English part would sound great with the whole group together. If you'd like, Noah and I would be happy to come up with an arrangement." She looked at him questioningly, and he smiled, nodding in approval.

"Just a minute," Finn interjected. "That's a nice song, and all, but don't you think it's a little too…too…" Finn was suddenly at a loss for words. Rachel looked at him crossly, questioning, "A little _too Jewish_, Finn? Is _that_ what you're getting at?"

"Well, not exactly," Finn backpedaled, "it's just, well…you're my girlfriend and…and…" "And what Finn? Do you have a problem with my singing a duet with Noah?" Puck's face dropped; he was sure Rachel would throw him "under the bus" in favor of her "golden boy" boyfriend.

"Yeah, there's that," Finn admitted, "but, it's like…well…I mean…it's in Hebrew and everything, and…different, and…well, everybody knows the 'The Dreidel Song'…" he ended, shrugging his shoulders and looking at Rachel, hopeful that she understood and would comply accordingly. However, Rachel had finally reached her breaking point. "So, if I understand this, you would prefer that I sing something that is not quite so…so 'Hebrew'?"

Finn breathed a small sigh of relief, replying, "Yeah, exactly, Rach, ya know?" Mercedes was the first to interject, "You did _not_ just go there, 'White Boy'!" Kurt immediately chimed in, "_Really_, Finn!"

A clearly surprised Will admitted, "Yes, Finn, that is truly an intolerant reaction. Diversity is important, and in this club, we respect each other's backgrounds as well as their feelings." Finn felt ashamed, but more for being chastised than his opinion. Basically, Finn wasn't prejudiced; he was simply more concerned with what people thought of him than anything else, and he preferred Rachel to "blend in" rather than be different.

Rachel composed herself, smiling at Finn. Puck could read that it was not a "sweet" smile, but Finn, as usual, was a bit too oblivious to notice, and took it as a sign of acquiescence. "Finn," she began, folding her arms, "please let me make a few things clear to you. One, I will be singing this _with Noah_. Two, I _am_ Jewish, and nothing you say or do will ever change that. And, finally, three; since you apparently feel uncomfortable with my heritage, I would recommend that you seek out a girlfriend who is somewhat more homogeneous."

"Wait, Rach; are you telling me to date a Lesbian?" he incredulously responded. "Don't look at me," Santana hastily called out. "Been there, done that; _don't_ want a repeat performance." Rachel patiently replied, "No, Finn, ho-mo-ge-ne-ous…somebody who blends in better than I do." Finn took on a look of consternation (or constipation; with him, it was hard to tell the difference, sometimes).

"Rachel, are you breaking up with me?" he asked, his voice laced with skepticism. Rachel's face registered relief more than anything else, and she answered, somewhat surprised, herself, "Yes, Finn, I guess that I am. I'm sorry for doing it in front of everybody, but what's done is done." She turned to Will, apologizing, "I'm sorry, Mr. Scheu, for the drama. Can we please get back to our set list?" She sat down in a different seat, next to Puck and several chairs away from Finn.

"It's about damn time," Quinn whispered to Santana. "Yeah," Santana whispered back, "I was wondering how long it would be until she cut ties with the 'Jolly Green Asshole'."

"O…K…" Will replied. "Now that's over with, perhaps we can move on." He looked around at the group. Surprisingly, everybody looked happy or relieved, with the exception of Finn, who still looked bewildered, as if the past few minutes had still not fully registered.

"After mulling your suggestions over, I'd like to propose this as our performance: first, 'We Need a Little Christmas' with the whole group, 'Jingle Bell Rock' featuring Santana, Tina, Sam, and Blaine, and the rest of the group singing backup, 'Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town', 'Jackson 5' version, maybe with solos for Quinn, Kurt, and Artie, 'O Holy Night' as a duet for Mercedes and Finn, then Rachel's and Puck's duet. I think a good finish, _especially_ in light of the dialog that took place today, will be 'Let There Be Peace on Earth'." He paused to look around the room and gauge the reaction, which appeared favorable, save Finn, who still hadn't wrapped his head around the whole episode.

Will glanced at the clock to see that close to an hour had passed, and he decided to let the kids leave early. "I'll have sheet music for you at the next meeting. Rachel and Puck, if your arrangement can be ready by then, I'd appreciate it." He dismissed the group with "OK, guys; have a great evening!"

As the kids filed out in ones and twos, Finn was the first out the door. Rachel and Puck left together last, discussing possible harmonies. Outside the doorway, Finn stepped up, standing in front of them and stopping them in their tracks. "Rach, you can't be serious," he pleaded. Rachel smiled, confirming, "Yes, Finn, I am serious. I think it's time to end our relationship. I'm not upset, and you shouldn't be, either."

"It's _him_, isn't it," Finn retorted angrily, nodding his head in Puck's direction. "You've been cheating, haven't you, Rachel?" he accused. Rachel sighed, answering honestly, "No, Finn, we haven't been cheating. It's _not_ all about you, or either of us betraying you, it's just time to move on." She smiled, genuinely if a bit patronizingly, continuing, "I'm sure you'll see that in time, Finn. I care about you, I enjoy singing with you; I just don't want to be your girlfriend any more." She smiled at him again, this time with a little less acrimony. "Now, if you'll excuse me, please…" she said, taking Puck's arm as they walked down the hallway toward Rachel's locker.

Puck was more than a little curious with what had transpired; he imagined Rachel would back down and run into the arms of her "leading man", but that didn't appear to be happening. "Did you really mean that, Rach?" he asked, tentatively.

"Yes, Noah, 100%," she replied convincingly. "Finn and I are done as a couple, and there are no more third, fourth, fifth, or sixth chances for reconciliation. Finn and I both need somebody who appreciates us for who we are instead of what the other would like us to be," she wisely concluded. Puck grinned, and he suggested, "Ya' know, Rach, if you don't hafta go home right away, maybe we could go to the Lima Bean…ya' know, to discuss the song…" looking hopefully into her eyes. Rachel giggled, replying, "I would love to, Noah, and we don't even have to talk about the song."

Rachel opened her combination lock and removed her coat from the locker. There were several pictures with Finn on the inside of the door which she removed, placing them on the shelf inside. She smiled gently, saying nothing and closing the door. As she was about to put her coat on, Puck stopped her, temporarily placing his backpack and guitar case on the ground. "Here, lemme, Rach," he offered, helping her on with her coat. "Thank you, Noah," she replied, smiling shyly. He picked up his things, and they headed out the door, his arm about her shoulders and hers around his waist, into the dusk.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Ordinarily, I prefer not to incorporate song lyrics into the text. In this case, the song is probably unknown to the majority of readers, and I decided to include it. 'Ma'oz Tzur' is a liturgical poem that is thought to have been written in the 13th century. It has a beautiful melody, and there are a number of recordings available…YouTube is always a good resource. I included the English translation (which is not literal) that I remember from Hebrew school, although there are apparently (at least) several different versions.

Other song credits are as follows:

- "We Need A Little Christmas" - words and music by Jerry Herman, from the musical, "Mame".

- "Jingle Bell Rock" – words and music by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe.

- "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town" – Music by John Frederick Coots, lyrics by Haven Gillespie.

- "O Holy Night" – English lyrics by John Sullivan Dwight, music by Adolphe Adam.

- "Let There Be Peace On Earth" – lyrics by Jill Jackson Miller, music by Sy Miller.

The other titles were simply mentioned in passing; although their composer/lyricist information is available online, it was too tedious to reproduce here. Suffice it to say, they are actual song titles, and I didn't write them. :-) Happy Holidays!


End file.
